


Mould

by SamCyberCat



Series: Zombie Diet [11]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombies, M/M, Zombie AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-13 01:31:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20165923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamCyberCat/pseuds/SamCyberCat
Summary: Iwatobi is now as safe as it's going to get since the zombie outbreak. But that has less to do with the revolution than anyone realises and more to do with a mother wanting to see her son again. Hayato has put himself in this position to help the others and it leaves him to reflect upon how he got here. Trail Mix epilogue + Hayato's backstory.





	Mould

**Author's Note:**

> This took a little longer than I'd have liked to get out, but here it is – the last story in the Trail Mix series. Although all the other main characters' stories were wrapped up at the end of Late Supper, so this epilogue is purely about Hayato, showing what happened to him after the revolution, as well as part of his backstory that I wasn't able to cover during the main fics. Hope you enjoy!

People called Hayato a zombie scientist – he was the one who'd studied zombies, pushed for a greater understanding of how the virus affected people with synesthesia, and ultimately came up with a machine that could be mass produced to disarm zombies in an immediate area. Those had been called “cure machines”, but it only took a few moments of thinking about it to realise that they weren't an actual cure so much as they were just another method to fight back against the zombies.

An actual cure would involve finding an antidote to the virus in the water sources, as well as pin-pointing exactly where the virus was stemming from to put a stop to it spreading. In more than fifteen years since the outbreak had began, no one had been able to do this. Hayato privately didn't believe that it was possible and the more studies he made into that area, the less optimistic he became about curing the virus in his lifetime. Yet when he resigned his position as the leader of the revolution so he could return to his research, finding a cure was the reason was why people believed he'd left them.

That wasn't what he was actually doing.

Hayato looked into the containment room, where a single zombie was lurching around, and sighed in irritation. Even this was a fruitless task. But he'd at least gotten someone who'd been shot through the head to now be up and walking as a zombie, which his employer considered to be progress. From many perspectives, that alone could be used as a dangerous weapon, but Christine had established such a strong stance on wiping out zombies that she wouldn't risk ruining that by creating a zombie army, Hayato presumed.

No, this was a personal project. Small scale. But it meant so much to Christine. It was also the reason that she had agreed to a lot of the terms that she did.

The revolution had been naïve. They believed that they'd defeated Christine that day by turning her numbers against her, but that was only a temporary answer. As soon as she got back to the compound, Christine was every bit the leader that she always had been, with the rest of the world looking to her as someone who could provide them with the answers. She was, put simply, too powerful to take down. Hayato had known that upon starting the revolution, yet still he'd had to try.

It was almost funny that Sousuke had provided the answer to stopping Christine without even realising it.

Hayato's gamble had been using Christine's son, Dr. Hewitt “Boney” Whittle, as a hostage. One who Sousuke had shot after the whole thing spiralled out of Hayato's control. And in Boney's death had come the answer. Not even Hayato could've planned for that.

Christine was proud and she'd always seen Boney as an embarrassment. She wanted Boney to be well-regarded as her son, but she knew that he wasn't actually a capable scientist or a rational person at all. Which was why she'd shipped him out to a lab in Tokyo to keep him occupied. That way she got to boast about her son's achievements without her son being anywhere close to the compound so he could ruin it.

There wasn't a single part of Hayato's mind that believed Christine actually cared about Boney. Which was why it came as a great surprise when it turned out that she did. In her own warped way.

She'd looked at her dead son and then looked at the zombie scientist, putting two and two together to come up with what she'd hoped was the answer.

That was why Hayato was here and why Christine had agreed to leave Iwatobi alone. Not because of a plucky, upstart revolution, but because she wanted her son back and Hayato was the only person who might be able to help her with that.

Deep down, he knew there was probably no way to bring Boney back. Nor would he want to bring him back if he wasn't being made to do this. But Christine had given him a platform to experiment on, not even objecting to Hayato using the zombie virus to revive Boney. Hayato would be lying if he said that he wasn't intrigued by the possibilities to some degree.

“Good morning, old friend. Shall we get started?”

Hayato looked at the camera feed that showed inside the room, talking only to make some noise for the benefit of his test subject (and perhaps a little for his own benefit, too). Boney acknowledged the sound and lurched towards the door, but only because his zombie instincts had recognised there was food on the other side. There was nothing else going on in his head.

Looking through the feed at the vacant green eyes that watched the door, Hayato shook his head; “Did you ever think this was where you'd end up when you picked me out? I bet you didn't. So much has happened that neither of us could've imagined. If you'd known, I bet you'd have left me alone, wouldn't you?”

With the scratching on the door echoing behind him, Hayato got to work, allowing his mind to wander into the past, as he sifted through the data...

***

Kisumi held his hand tightly when they got off the helicopter. Kisumi held his hand when they were decontaminated, when they were briefed on their situation and when they were shown to the house they'd be sharing with Mrs. Yamazaki. When they went to sleep that night, Kisumi held him close and Hayato could tell that even though Kisumi's eyes were closed, he was not asleep. Hayato didn't sleep much that night either.

How could they shake the feeling that coming here had been a mistake?

“We'll be safe now,” Kisumi told him at breakfast the next morning.

A breakfast that had been provided for them. They hadn't had to go out hunting, unsure of if they'd have a successful hunt and get to eat that day. The compound provided for their basic needs and that meant that this place had to be good, right?

“When do you think the others will be able to come here?” Hayato asked.

He watched as Kisumi exchanged a glance with Mrs. Yamazaki, both of them silently agreeing on what was the best answer that they could give to Hayato. Because Hayato was just a child – he wouldn't be able to handle the truth. The fact that Hayato knew they were thinking this made him think that he could handle it better than they'd give him credit for.

“Hopefully someday soon. When everything's safe for Haru, they'll be able to come here with us,” Mrs. Yamazaki answered.

“I bet they're working on it right now,” Kisumi agreed.

***

After living in the compound for a few years, Hayato came to the conclusion that no one was working on a solution for Haru. He was a teenager now, so it was harder for them to hide the truth from him, as much as they tried. Hayato didn't blame his brother or Mrs. Yamazaki for this. He knew that they wanted to believe someone was working on finding an answer, but at some point they had to face the fact that this wasn't the case.

“They've never mentioned it to us or made any indication that they know at all. Look, I think the people who took us away that day just turned a blind eye to Haru, because the alternate would be shooting him dead. They aren't ever going to bring him here,” explained Hayato, on one such morning when his patience had ran out.

“So you've lost faith? And what do you plan on doing about that?” asked Mrs. Yamazaki, “You can argue with us all day, acting like you're such a smart little man, but that won't change anything. You think I don't want to see my son again, even more than you do? Stop acting like we're keeping you in the dark because you're the victim.”

“Then stop keeping me in the dark!” Hayato snapped.

“Hayato, please don't talk to Noriko like that,” scolded Kisumi.

“I'll talk however I want! And I'm not a little man, I'm almost as tall as you guys now, but you still baby me so much, Kisumi. Do you think it was better to lead me on and give me false hope all these years?” Hayato's eyes narrowed; “...Or was it yourself you were giving false hope?”

“I...”

Hayato turned on his heels and marched out of the house without waiting for an answer. Kisumi's hurt expression would be burned into his mind for a while, but he couldn't stop himself from feeling frustrated. Those two knew that there was no hope, yet they were prepared to just lie down and do nothing about it! Kisumi looked so sad every day he went without his friends and, heck, Sousuke was Mrs. Yamazaki's son. If they were both hurting so much, why had they resigned to doing nothing about it?

They probably felt like they couldn't do anything... They were trapped here, when you got down to it.

Hayato glanced up at the ceiling, way above him. Even when he went outside, he wasn't truly outside. And then there was the walls... Hayato knew that the compound was split up into various zones and that with their bronze rations cards, civilians like them couldn't ever leave the residential area they'd been assigned to. They were moved only by the commands of someone higher up, who mostly wanted them to stay right here.

For all intents and purposes, this was a prison.

How could Hayato expect the guards to know anything about Haru? They were just following orders themselves. It did seem hopeless, when you put it like that...

Yet there was one place that he could go. A drop off point, where goods from the outside were brought for civilians to sift through on different days. It was mostly clothes, furniture and meaningless trinkets from before the outbreak, but to many people, going there was the highlight of their week. Kisumi loved going and usually Noriko would go with him.

Hayato was less sentimental as time went on - reminders of their old lives didn't matter - but he needed a distraction today. So he headed over to the gate that led through to the drop off point, able to guess that today was their zone's turn from the high volume of people queued up to get through. He joined the line and let his mind wander.

Getting to the gate took about ten minutes and once he'd reached it, Hayato took out his bronze card, flashing it to the guards so they'd let him through. Then he was in.

From what Hayato could tell, the drop off point seemed to be at the centre of all the residential areas. Around the walls of this circular area were gates that led into different zones. All of them locked today, except for the one that led into Hayato's zone. That stopped people from sneaking between zones without permission, Hayato supposed. The only way those other gates would ever be opened was if a guard with a silver card needed to take something from the drop off point into another zone in a hurry. That didn't happen often.

The “main event” was the pile of junk in the middle that the council had deemed appropriate for civilians to sift through. Hayato walked around it, watching the people more than he watched what they were taking. Their eyes would light up upon finding something that reminded them of the old world or finding some clothes that would fit. They were all living in the past. It was sad, but the more time went on, the less the compound seemed like a temporary shelter and the more it seemed like where they'd all be for the rest of their lives. People had already lived and died here...

After a while, Hayato had to admit that being here wasn't making him feel any better. If anything, it was making him feel worse. He was about to resign to going home and apologising for his outburst when something caught his attention...

...A gate opened. One that Hayato had never seen be opened before.

Through it walked a solitary figure, who waved absently to the guards, before the gate was closed behind him. Then Hayato saw a glint of gold as the stranger put his card away. A gold rations card? This guy had to be important.

Hayato watched him, noting the air of arrogance this person displayed as he walked. The boy looked like he might've been around Hayato's age, but he was much shorter than Hayato and his hair was dyed dark green. Kisumi had to hunt through the drop off point in the slim hopes of finding the pink hair dye that he loved so much - for this stranger to have dye so frivolously at his disposal suggested wealth, as if the gold card didn't already.

Whoever he was, the boy was worth paying attention to.

With that in mind, Hayato edged close, quickly trying to decide how he'd approach this situation. Perhaps the boy being here would mean nothing, but it could also be Hayato's one chance to do something, to have something happen that was different to what happened every day. And perhaps find out if anything was being done to make the compound a safe place to bring Haru. Yet how was Hayato going to approach this? If he just walked up to the boy and tried talking to him, the guards might send him packing.

While Hayato was thinking this over, the boy's head turned towards him. Their eyes met and suddenly, Hayato didn't have to worry about finding a way to talk to him. Because with how the boy's eyes sparkled upon seeing him, it was obvious he was intrigued. Hayato wasn't stupid, he knew from the way others around his age looked at him that he was pretty. It was a Shigino thing to be attractive in a flowing sort of way. Clearly that appealed to the boy, whose mouth practically hung open as he looked at Hayato. If he was into Hayato (which he obviously was), then Hayato could use that.

Hayato hung back, waiting for the boy to approach him and adopting his best deer in the headlights expression. Hayato blinked and tilted his head. The boy grinned. Hayato had him.

“Don't think I've seen you around here before,” said the boy, “The name's Boney and my mum is kind of on the council. We're working to save Japan, you know.”

So this boy did have a connection to someone with some sway in all of this. Perfect.

“You're really one of our saviours? That's so wonderful, you must be very proud of yourself. I'm honoured you'd take the time to talk to me,” said Hayato, laying it on thick, “I'm Hayato. I've been here with my family since about a year after the infection broke out. We care so much about the work you're all doing for us.”

“Yeah, well, it is impressive, isn't it?” Boney preened, proving that he was every bit as arrogant as Hayato suspected he was.

Time to see how far Hayato could push this.

“...Though to answer what you said before, I don't come to the drop off point too often. There isn't anything here for me,” said Hayato.

“What do you mean by that?” Boney asked, “Aren't the items that the council approves good enough?”

“Oh no, it's not that I don't value the work of the council,” said Hayato, making a note not to sound too much like he was accusing them when talking to Boney, “It's more that... I don't know, maybe the old world had nothing much to offer me. It's all the same old, same old. But I guess that's the way it is.”

“It isn't all like this. There's some stuff that you guys never get to see. Stuff that's much better than all of this junk,” replied Boney, as he gestured around.

“Gosh, I can only imagine what that must be like...”

A part of Hayato worried that he was trying too hard with all of this and his motives would be transparent. Fortunately, it turned out that Boney was an idiot. As Hayato watched, Boney looked back towards the gate he'd come from and gave a greedy smirk. He was about to play right into Hayato's hands.

“I mean... I'm not supposed to do this, but it'd be cruel for me to say something like that without showing you what I'm talking about,” Boney said, “So unless you have somewhere else to be, you could always come back with me for a while.”

Bingo.

“You'd really do that for me? W-wow... thanks, Boney. And trust me, I've got no where else to be.”

“In that case, let's get out of here.”

Without so much as a backwards glance towards his own zone, where Kisumi and Mrs. Yamazaki were waiting for him, Hayato followed Boney as he led him into a part of the compound that Hayato had never been to before.

***

The trip here had been enlightening. Hayato had seen first-hand that outside the residential area were indeed other places that had been created to keep the compound running smoothly. It made sense. Of course the food that they were given had to be prepared somewhere, the goods from the drop off point needed to be checked through first and there had to be somewhere for the council to gather and make decisions about how the compound was to be run.

But one large building stood out amongst them all. Hayato could see it clearly from Boney's bedroom window and he needed to know more.

“What's that place?” he asked, “I can see that there's a huge landing bay for the helicopters. That must be where new people are brought in from the outside, right? But what's the big building used for?”

Boney tutted; “Come on, that place isn't nearly as impressive as what we have right here. But if you must know, it's the facility. You're right that people are brought there to be decontaminated when they arrive, but it's more than just that. It's where scientists are studying the virus to find a cure. Mum tells me that they're making so much progress and the facility is highly thought of all over the world. The facilities we had back in the UK weren't nearly that advanced.”

Which implied that the virus was global at this point. That was disheartening to learn.

“A cure...? I'm so glad to hear they're working on something like that,” Hayato said, “Maybe it means we could all go home someday...”

It could even mean that Haru could be restored to his old self. That'd mean they wouldn't have to worry about him being a threat any more.

“I mean, yeah, that's great and all, but I didn't bring you here to show you the facility,” Boney huffed.

That brought Hayato back to the moment, reminding him that if he was to have any chance to keep coming here, that he had to get on Boney's good side. It wasn't as if Boney was difficult to work – he lapped up even the smallest praise Hayato would give him without question and then would go into a mood the moment Hayato stopped paying attention to him. From that, Hayato could tell that he was deeply insecure, probably craving attention that he wasn't receiving from elsewhere.

So Hayato turned to look around the room, which was filled with all the sorts of meaningless trinkets he didn't care about from the drop off point. They were the same, just fancier. Boney clearly got first pick. But Hayato didn't care about the posters on the walls, showing anime characters he could barely remember, or the figures on the shelves that were much the same. Still, he had to pretend to care.

“I've never seen anything like this. I bet you could tell me so much about everything in here,” said Hayato.

If he had to endure Boney waxing on about some fictional characters for a while, then so be it. But it turned out that wasn't what Boney had in mind. Instead, Boney picked up a remote from his bedside table, using it to dim the lights in the room. While Hayato watched, something began sparkling from above them. He looked up to see stars fading in and out amongst a soft purple backdrop, like some kind of planetarium. For the first time since he'd got here, Hayato was genuinely impressed by something in Boney's house. It must've shown from his face, since suddenly Boney was looking particularly smug.

“One of the biggest losses from the old world, wouldn't you agree?”

“I think you might be right...”

With that, Boney sat on his bed, leaning back against the wall and regarding Hayato closely.

“Most days I just stay in my room, leaving the projector on while I do whatever. It took Mum ages to justify getting them to set it up in here, but those of us with gold cards always get first dibs,” he said.

That explained why projectors never made it to the drop off point. Honestly, Hayato couldn't even blame those privileged few for wanting to have this. As lights twinkled above him, illuminating the room, Hayato found himself swaying where he stood. He'd never thought about dancing before, but it seemed to come to him naturally. Soon enough, he was moving across the floor. And all the while, Boney's eyes stayed upon him, humming along with a tune that he knew but Hayato did not .

When he looked back on it later, Hayato didn't know how long he'd stayed there for that first time he went to Boney's house, but he did remember being flushed pink from all the dancing when the projector was finally turned off and he remembered the way that Boney looked lovingly at him...

“That was wonderful... I wish I could do this every day,” Hayato said. And for once, he was actually being honest.

“What's to say that you can't?” said Boney, “It's been nice to have you here, Hayato. I don't see too many people my own age who are like you and... and I'd like to see you more. Maybe you could come more often?”

Hayato shook his head; “Not with my bronze card I can't. We both know that I probably shouldn't be here even now.”

“That's what you're worried about? That's easy!” Boney boasted, “I mean, obviously I can't give out gold cards, but silver cards are simple enough. Most of the workers here have them and they're programmed to let you into the specific places you need to go for work. So I could fix you up a silver card that'll allow you access through to this part of the compound. Then you could come to me as often as you like.”

Or more accurately, as often as Boney liked. But it was a step in the right direction.

“Boney, that would be more than I could ever ask for. You're too kind,” Hayato praised.

He decided not to talk to Boney about Haru, at least not yet. If Hayato dropped that in too soon, then it might become obvious that he was using Boney to get closer to the answers he wanted. Answers which could well be in that facility. For now, Hayato would take the silver card and keep visiting Boney to keep him sweet while Hayato figured out what his next step would be.

***

It took Boney about an hour to get a silver card programmed with both the route to his house, the drop off point and Hayato's zone. Hayato watched him the whole while, feeling almost giddy that just like that, he'd so easily gotten access to more places than he'd been allowed to go to for years. According to Boney, the guards wouldn't question this card so long as Hayato used it correctly. Not wanting to lose this new privilege, Hayato knew that he'd play by those rules for now.

When it was time to leave, Boney walked Hayato all the way back to his zone. Which meant that either Boney was so smitten with Hayato that he wanted to spend as much time as he could with him or that he didn't fully trust Hayato to go straight home if it was on his own. Possibly both. But Hayato would gain Boney's trust over time.

Once they were at the gate leading into the zone, Hayato turned to Boney and smiled sweetly.

“Same time tomorrow?” he said.

“Or even earlier. Come any time you want. My door's always open for you,” Boney fawned.

“You're too kind. But right now I'd better get back before my family start to worry...”

That would be exactly what Kisumi was doing right now, Hayato knew. He wasn't looking forward to it, but he knew that apologising was the right thing to do. None of this was Kisumi's fault and Hayato's frustration wasn't truly with him. So he left Boney and returned to their little compound-provided house, gingerly opening the door.

“Hayato, you're home!”

He'd barely opened in ajar before Kisumi rushed over, pulling it the rest of the way open and hugging him tightly.

“H-hey, Kisumi...”

“I'm so glad you're all right! I went looking for you, but I couldn't find you anywhere in the zone or the drop off point. It was like you just vanished...” said Kisumi, “But anyway, I'm glad that you're back. I wanted to say sorry for this morning.”

Poor Kisumi had no idea that the reason he couldn't find Hayato was because he hadn't been at either of those places for most of the day. Why would Kisumi suspect that, then they'd always been in the same area for the whole time that they'd lived here?

The silver card was sat in Hayato's pocket. He could so easily show it to Kisumi and explain everything that had happened today. But then... what if they stopped him? Kisumi would worry about Hayato's safety and Mrs. Yamazaki was too sharp to let Hayato even try something like this. Hayato could see her watching them from her chair in the living room. To the two of them, Hayato was just a kid and vulnerable in the ways that came with being young. But to Hayato, he was the only one of them willing to try to get Haru and the others here with them. What Hayato was doing would help them all in the end.

Because of that, Hayato chose not to tell them about the silver card. It was the first in what would become a long line of deception against his family, where Hayato would deem it better if they didn't know what he was doing.

“No... I'm the one who should be sorry,” said Hayato, “I went off in a mood because I was angry about all of this, but I know it's not your fault. What can we do, really?”

Kisumi pulled back from the hug, stroking Hayato's hair; “We can hope, Hayato. We can always do that.”

“You're right. Thanks, Kisumi...”

Although in reality, Hayato intended to do more than just hope.

***

Despite the secrecy from his family, Hayato kept up with his visits to Boney until they became regular. Luckily Hayato was at that age when teenagers started dating, so it turned out Kisumi believed he was doing just that and that Hayato's secrecy was out of embarrassment. It... wasn't entirely untrue, even if it was a long way off the actual situation.

The time he spent with Boney quickly fell into a routine similar to that first day – Boney would show Hayato something, trying to impress him with varying degrees of success, and Hayato would always pretend to be impressed, even if he actually wasn't. The projector was always the best part. That was like Boney's trump card – he knew the fake night's sky would win Hayato over in the end.

After a while, Hayato would forget that his actual journey to Boney's house was also supposed to be a secret. People saw him while he was walking. Mostly the workers. And they didn't seem to care. Boney had been right that as long as Hayato stuck to his route and kept his silver card on him, people didn't seem to question it. People were people at the end of the day – too busy with their own lives to be that concerned with a passing stranger on the streets.

And on his way to Boney's house each day, Hayato would pass the facility. Of course he would – it was opposite the house. The facility was so interesting to Hayato that he couldn't help himself from stopping to look at it sometimes. That was where the progress was happening. It was the place that could answer Hayato's questions.

He looked towards the huge doors. It looked like there was a reception area, with people coming in and out on business. If he went inside, would people question it...?

“Her skin is like velvet... So I went to her home. Her place like a palace, with things you can't own...”

The familiar sound of Boney's voice carried across the street as he sung one of the songs he'd often hum while Hayato danced under the light of the projector. When Hayato turned to face him, Boney was already walking over. It was impossible to hide what he'd been doing.

“You really want to see this place, don't you?” Boney asked.

“I want to know what they're doing, just like anyone would,” said Hayato, allowing himself to be honest for once.

He expected Boney to become moody like he usually would when Hayato showed interest in anything that wasn't him. But today, Boney just seemed sad. He looked past Hayato, towards the facility. As if this building was a romantic rival that had just defeated him. Then he gave a long sigh.

“Right. You should go home for today. I've got a lot on, so I don't have time to hang out.”

This had to be a lie. In all the time he'd been coming here, Hayato had never known Boney to do anything else. He was the son of a councilwoman, but that seemed to be it. He was free to live a life of leisure in this limited world. But if Hayato questioned that he'd risk angering Boney and losing his silver card. If he left now, he could wait for Boney to cool off and come back another day.

Yet if Boney was jealous of the attention Hayato was paying to the facility, then Hayato could probably rule out getting to go there. That was a huge step backwards. Damn.

***

He left it a few days before going to see Boney again. It was all that had been on Hayato's mind the whole time. He was desperate to know how much damage he'd done and if he now had any chance of getting near someone who might have answers about Haru. But it wasn't like Boney would come to him in his zone, so in the end Hayato had to take a chance and go to him.

He hastily bid goodbye to Kisumi and Mrs. Yamazaki, before heading out. He went all the way to Boney's home without stopping to look at the facility, so not to repeat what happened last time. But when he got to the door, it wasn't Boney who greeted him there.

“So you're this Hayato I've heard so much about. Can't say I'm surprised.”

He was spoken to by a distinguished woman with white hair and no expression on her face. Even her voice came out at a level pitch, as if she was avoiding showing too much emotion. It wasn't hard to guess that this was Boney's mother. Hayato bowed low.

“You must be Councilwoman Whittle. It's an honour to meet you,” he said.

Perhaps she would take away his silver card, since he shouldn't have it in the first place. But if Boney had been talking about him, surely that meant that she already knew and didn't care that much.

“Don't bow. I should be the one thanking you,” she said, “For years my son has been a layabout, but meeting you has inspired him to make something of himself. I'm not certain how much luck he'll have in the field of science, but I'm grateful to you that he even wants to try.”

“Science?” Hayato echoed.

“Yes, I was as surprised as you are. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way.”

With that, Councilwoman Whittle was gone. Back then Hayato had no idea how much Christine would become involved in his story and he doubted that she did either – how could anyone suspect that a young upstart would become a fierce competitor to her power? Even if Christine had come out on top in the end.

At the time, the only thing on Hayato's mind was finding answers from Boney. He headed up to Boney's room, where the sight that awaited him was Boney wearing a shocking white lab coat that looked several sizes too big for him. He spun around, holding out his arms for Hayato to see. Clearly he'd been waiting to do that since he'd heard Boney talking to Christine downstairs.

“Like it? I rather think that it suits me. And I've got one for you as well,” Boney boasted.

He held out another lab coat, which Hayato took from him and slipped on. Even if he said so himself, Hayato was tall enough to pull off the look better than Boney could. The white coat hung from his body in a way that almost looked stylish. Yet he didn't take this gift without question.

“Your mom said you'd taken an interest in science. So does that mean you got a new job?” he asked.

“Yes, at the facility. I could tell they didn't expect it, but Mum talked them around – not like they had a choice – so now I can take you there. Isn't that great?”

It was more than great. It was what Hayato had wanted this whole time. Just when he thought he'd lost that chance completely, Boney had rigged something like this just to impress Hayato. Now he might finally find the answers he was looking for.

“Can we go there now?” said Hayato, barely able to hide his excitement.

“But of course. I'll show you to my lab,” Boney purred.

***

Hayato took in every part of the facility with a sense of child-like wonder. The entrance seemed like a standard lobby, with a receptionist at the desk who didn't pay them much mind. As they got into the winding corridors, their footsteps echoed on the hard floor. Glancing into all the rooms that they past, Hayato could see people working on projects that he didn't yet understand. Someone here had to be doing something to help Haru. This was the only place in the compound where someone could work on that. So Hayato would find them and find answers.

He noticed that any scientists who past them in the corridors regarded them with disdain. Hayato could hardly blame them. Boney had bought his way in using his privilege and not through the merits that others had worked to be here. But Hayato didn't care – he'd work as hard as he needed to so he could find his answers.

Halfway down one of the corridors, Boney stopped and turned into a room, with Hayato following him close behind.

“This is it – my personal lab. It's decked out with the same equipment that the other guys have, so I have as much to play with as they do,” said Boney, “Can you imagine if I stumbled across the cure while I'm messing about in here? Those scientists would be pissed. More so than they are already. Heh.”

“That's what they're all doing in here... They all want to find a cure,” Hayato mumbled, looking around in awe. Not just at the equipment, but at the copies of books and documents lined up on the shelves. He could finally study! Hayato made his way across to the books, vowing to memorise every word. A cure... A real cure? He looked back at Boney and said, “Oh, but we're thinking about this much too broadly. I can imagine that there's so many layers to finding a cure. If we could be but a small part of that, it would be amazing. Imagine if we could prove there's still people inside those zombies?”

“Yeah, well, let's not get too far-fetched,” said Boney, “These guys bring in zombies to study all the time. They keep them contained, of course. But they haven't found any signs that they do more than groan and seek out flesh to eat.”

Hayato could blow Boney's mind by telling him that he'd known a zombie who had a mind of his own. But he decided that Boney wasn't the right person to talk about that with. Hayato needed to get in with the actual scientists here. People who would care about the implications Haru's existence had.

But for now, Hayato had to do a lot of studying. He took one of the books off the shelf and sat down in a chair, eyes hungrily taking in every word that he read. He heard Boney grunt dismissively, before taking a book down himself and pretending to read it. Though what he was actually doing was watching Hayato.

“If only I'd known what you'd wanted was a library,” he grumbled.

“Perhaps. But this is only the beginning,” said Hayato, “Once we learn, we can start to work...”

This time, he didn't care how blatant he was being with his intentions. If he could get a foot in the door here and make himself important, then he might not need to rely on Boney's approval any more.

...Only this was when Boney decided to pull the rug out from under him. When Boney didn't reply right away, Hayato could tell there was something here that he'd missed. He looked up from his book with a sense of dread, to find Boney staring directly at him, wondering how to put something into words.

“Is everything all right?” Hayato asked.

“Yes, but... I think you've got the wrong end of the stick,” said Boney. And it was suddenly clear that he was so eager to say this; “I'm the one who works here. I got the job as a scientist. You're just a civilian, an unknown from one of the zones. You couldn't expect me to swing this so they'd take you on as well. That would be unreasonable.”

Hayato lowered his book, the bottom sinking out of his stomach; “...But you gave me a lab coat.”

“Which you need to be here as my guest, yes. I've done a lot for you Hayato, but there's only so far I can push this. You can come here with me sometimes, but this is my job, not yours,” said Boney.

That's what this was. Just another effort to control Hayato. Boney had dangled what he wanted so close to his reach, only to yank it away under the false promise that Hayato might get more if he behaves. Learning this frustrated Hayato so badly. He looked down at the book, but he couldn't even read the words right now.

Yet he had to. If he wanted to best Boney, then Hayato had to learn as much as he could and force his way in here for real, not just as Boney's guest. That was what he was going to do. He'd decided.

***

Even when he went home, Hayato wore the lab coat. It meant that he'd have to admit to being dishonest about where he'd been sneaking off to and also that he was going to lie once again, but if he was going to commit to working on this plan, then he couldn't afford to keep being vague to his family about exactly where he was going. Besides, once he did become a scientist, he wouldn't be lying any more. When he walked through the door, he smiled at them sheepishly.

“Surprise?”

Kisumi got up off his chair and came over, regarding Hayato's new look with curiosity.

“Hayato... what's all this?” he asked.

“Well, um, it turns out I've got a new job,” lied Hayato, “I'll spare you the details, but the compound think that I'm right for their lab, so I'll be working there from now on. Should all go well, I might be able to find a way to help Haru, so the others can come here.”

“That's wonderful news!” Kisumi cried, hugging him tightly, “All these years of hoping and the answer might come from my own brother. I don't know what to say...”

“Don't say anything until it's done,” said Hayato.

He could see Mrs. Yamazaki watching him with a lot more questions than Kisumi had about Hayato's vague description of how this had come to pass. She was too smart to be tricked, but she wanted to see her son again so much that Hayato hoped she would just let him get on with whatever he was doing. After watching him for a few moments, Mrs. Yamazaki nodded. Hayato had passed.

***

In those early days of Boney working at the facility, Hayato rarely stopped bothering him. He'd soon read every book and document in Boney's lab space from cover to cover and moved on to learn about the equipment and how all of it worked during every opportunity that Boney let him into the lab. Of course Boney was cagey about this, so he limited Hayato's visits to the lab to only a couple of times a week, but that just meant that Hayato crammed more work in during the times that he was there.

He also noticed that the other scientists avoided them completely, clearly seeing them as a couple of kids who'd been given a room to play in, taking up space and equipment that they could otherwise be using themselves.

That had to change. Hayato had to mingle with them to prove his worth and give them a reason to keep him there personally, not just as a guest of Boney.

The hard part was getting away from Boney, of course. Because Hayato knew that Boney's jealousy would spike if he saw Hayato talking too much with the scientists and it was still possible for Boney to revoke his lab access completely if he wanted to. So Hayato had to out-work Boney. He'd purposely stay in the lab later and later each time he was allowed in during the months that followed. Until one night, Boney gave out before he did. Boney gave a loud yawn that was mostly for show and got to his feet.

“I'm going to call it a night now. Catch you tomorrow, Dr. Shigino,” he said.

“See you later, Dr. Whittle,” said Hayato, barely looking up from his work as Boney headed out the door.

Hearing those titles made Hayato want to cringe. They hadn't earned them and Hayato wouldn't feel like they were worth having until he had some achievements under his belt. But Boney had started using them occasionally, as if to big himself up, so Hayato went along with it to keep Boney happy. It was possibly also another way for Boney to remind him that he wasn't actually a doctor.

Regardless, through some miracle, this idea had worked. Hayato expected that Boney would just tell him it was time to go and then they'd both leave together. But Boney wasn't a night owl and would often slip up when he got too tired to function properly. Apparently Boney's tiredness had overrode his possessiveness and now he was letting Hayato have some time in the lab without him. Perfect! Now it was time for Hayato to get out there and lie his ass off to the other scientists.

He waited for about twenty minutes, plenty of time for Boney to vacate the facility and be on his way home. Then Hayato left Boney's lab and began to explore the rest of the facility unsupervised. It felt liberating to do so.

Since it was late, there weren't many others around. But Hayato did come across another scientist as he headed towards the cells where the zombies were kept. A nervous-looking man who wouldn't be difficult to fool. Was it wrong that this was Hayato's first impression of him?

“Hey, um... I know you're here at the council's request, but it's not safe to go in there without a protective suit,” he said.

“But the zombies are kept in cells,” said Hayato, “I'm familiar with your work, Dr. Masaki, I know you don't believe that the virus is airborne and it looks like the evidence is swaying in your favour.”

The surprise on Dr. Masaki's face was as plain as day. Clearly he didn't expect Hayato to be familiar with his work. But of course Hayato had read it – after living with Haru for a full year, Hayato had no reason to believe that the virus was airborne. If it had been, then all of them would've been infected long before the helicopter had found them. Hell, there'd be no survivors at this stage at all if that was true.

“Ah... w-well, it's nice to hear that my work is appreciated. But even so, rules are rules. Until we have enough evidence in my favour, you can't go in there dressed like that. Th-that doesn't mean you can't go in at all though,” said Dr. Masaki, who seemed to have changed his tune at hearing the praise, “Why don't I escort you? I could show you the ropes and fill you in on the progress we've been making.”

“I'd like that a lot,” said Hayato.

***

The protective suit was troublesome. It was clunky to move around in, got hot too quickly and seemed so very pointless when they weren't even seeing the zombies directly. Hayato thought bitterly to himself that one of his first lines of business once he got in here for real would be to aid Dr. Masaki's work and prove these suits were unnecessary. Also, he decided that in future he'd “forget” to wear one as often as he could get away with.

Yet despite the irritating suit, Hayato's first trip to the zombie holding cells proved valuable. He quickly learned that no other sentient zombies like Haru were being held here. No one seemed to imply that they knew any zombies like Haru even existed. It was something Hayato could work on in future, once he'd established trust.

This didn't prove to be difficult. Flattery could get you everywhere. Not only did he impress Dr. Masaki with his knowledge of his work, but everyone else he was introduced to, Hayato had also read up on their studies enough to compliment them. Even those whose work Hayato personally thought of as hogwash.

By the time he'd finished his tour of the zombie cells, there were four other scientists walking with them. It had been so easy.

“Thank you all so much for the time you've taken to talk with me,” said Hayato, as they took off their protective suits in the changing room, “I feel like I've learned so much and I can only hope to contribute myself in future.”

“Just let us know if there's anything we can help you with,” said another scientist, who Hayato knew was called Dr. Saiou, “I'll be honest – we weren't sure what to make of you at first, but I can see now that you've got a keen mind. I'm sure you'll do well here.”

“Well, Boney and I can only try our best,” Hayato assured her.

There was an awkward pause.

“So is... is Hewitt Whittle actually a scientist as well?” she asked, “We'd heard that he only wanted in here to impress his boyfriend. Uh, as in... you.”

That was what Boney was telling people? Hayato was hardly surprised. He wasn't even that offended, but he decided it'd be best to set the record straight where that was concerned.

“Maybe he is trying to impress me, but we're not dating,” Hayato said, “I hope to become known here for my work, not from my involvement with him. Besides, I'd like to keep my options open, you know?”

He let that last part hang in the air, noting from the reactions of the others that at least a few of them might be interested. Hayato hadn't thought much about dating before, but he decided that if doing so would give him an easy ride to getting into this place, then he wouldn't rule it out.

“I'm sure that it won't take you long. Sounds like you have a lot of big ideas. You'll be an asset to this facility, Dr. Shigino.”

While he still didn't feel like he'd earned that title, hearing it from them was something Hayato wouldn't object to.

“I'll try my best to live up to your expectations,” he said, “But for now, I should call it a night. Perhaps I'll see you all later in the week?”

He would do. He'd be seeing a lot more of these scientists now they were interested in him. And word would spread. This was exactly what Hayato needed.

Feeling accomplished, Hayato headed for the exit, hoping that Kisumi hadn't stayed up too late worrying about him. Only it turned out that Hayato might be staying out later, since before he could leave, he was stopped by an unfortunately familiar face.

“Looks like you're getting along with those guys,” Boney accused, stepping out from where he'd been hiding behind a pillar by the door, not seeming even remotely ashamed that he'd been spying when he'd claimed to have left.

“If you're going to be working with them, I want to get along with them as best I can,” said Hayato, “There's nothing wrong with that, is there?”

“You said we weren't involved,” Boney reminded.

“Because we're not? At least not in that way,” Hayato said. He didn't like where this was going.

“Do you think I'd do all of this for a friend?” demanded Boney, “You've been stringing me along this whole time!”

Oh dear. Time to nip this in the bud before it got messy.

“Look, I never said that we couldn't be involved, just that we're not involved right now. If you did think we were dating this whole time, then I'm sorry to have misled you. But you haven't asked me, Boney,” he said.

“It's too late to ask you now...” Boney grumbled.

“Is it?”

“What would you say, if I did?”

...Ugh. If Boney did ask, then Hayato would have no choice but to go along with that. But at least the other scientists now believed they weren't involved, so Hayato could still flirt with them if he needed to. He'd just have to make sure that Boney wasn't watching like he had been tonight.

“I would say that it'd be nice to try,” Hayato lied, “You've done so much for me, I'm very lucky to have met someone with such a kind nature.”

“Th-then maybe we could try...?” Boney mumbled, coming over almost shy, his outburst from moments ago completely forgotten.

“Yes, let's see how it goes,” Hayato agreed, just wanting to get this conversation over with.

But it wasn't going to be that easy. Boney moved closer, taking Hayato's hand in his own. Boney's hand was clammy with nerves, but Hayato didn't comment on it. He let Boney tug him towards the door.

“Let's go back to my place then. It's late, so you don't want to walk all the way back to your zone by yourself,” Boney said.

Honestly, Hayato would've rather done that, but he knew that Boney would only get annoyed if he didn't agree with them. So Hayato went back to Boney's house (or more accurately, Councilwoman Whittle's house) as Boney's boyfriend. This did not bode well.

***

When he did get home the next day, there was no way that Kisumi wouldn't comment on him being a stop-out. He could see his brother watching him curiously from the moment he walked through the door. It wouldn't be long before the questions came.

“Hey, sorry I didn't get back last night. I had a lot of work at the lab,” Hayato said, heading over to the cupboard to see if they had anything to eat.

“So you slept at the lab?” Kisumi asked, making it sound like the innocent question that it wasn't.

“They have rooms there, just in case,” replied Hayato. Then after a pause, he added, “But I didn't stay at the lab, no. One of my co-workers lives close to the lab, so I stayed over with him.”

Kisumi's eyes shone upon hearing that. He's gotten the wrong impression. Or maybe the right one. Hayato wasn't sure.

“What's he like?” Kisumi asked.

“He's... uh, he's okay? I wouldn't have gotten this job without him, so of course I'm thankful for that,” Hayato said.

“You sound apprehensive,” said Kisumi, “Come on, Hayato. You can talk to me about this stuff. I'm not as old as you think I am. Before the outbreak, I did my fair share of dating.”

Hayato sighed; “There's no getting away with it with you, is there? But all right, I guess we're dating now. I just feel like he's more into me than I'm into him.”

“Then why are you dating him?” Kisumi asked.

...Because it was a convenient way to get what he wanted? No, Hayato couldn't say that.

“I guess I want to give him a chance. Hopefully he'll grow on me with time,” he answered.

“That's one way to go about it. Maybe you'll be right about that,” said Kisumi, “But you shouldn't want to string him along, either. Feelings are messy, Hayato, if you think this won't work out, then you should get out of there before either of you get hurt.”

“Don't worry, I will,” said Hayato, “Thanks for the advice, Kisumi.”

“Any time! What are big brothers here for?” said Kisumi, “Anyway, I'll let you go get your breakfast. You must be hungry after your night out.”

Hayato just knew that Kisumi wouldn't be dropping that for a while. Which meant more lying would be to follow. Great.

***

Things didn't quite pan out as smoothly as Hayato had hoped on the facility side of the situation either. He wasn't able to keep his promise to see the other scientists later that week, because despite Hayato assuring him that it was all fine now, Boney didn't take him back to the facility at all for the few months that followed them getting together.

Clearly, Boney was paranoid after seeing how well the other scientists took to Hayato. And honestly, Hayato couldn't blame him. If not for the fact that Hayato needed Boney's privilege, then most of the other scientists would be better options than him.

Yet Hayato wouldn't get anywhere by entertaining Boney forever without making any progress. He'd spent his whole childhood stagnating over a way to help Haru, seemed to have stumbled onto a lot very quickly a few months back and now wasn't getting anywhere. Dating Boney wasn't the answer. Hayato just didn't know what the answer would be if he gave up on this. If he dumped Boney, then he'd lose his silver card and never get anywhere near the facility again. But if he stayed with Boney, then Boney was probably too jealous to let him go there. Each day Hayato would weigh up the pros and cons of each option in his mind without reaching an answer.

On one such day, his mind was swaying more towards the “breaking up with Boney” side of the fence when he reached the house. Yet when the door was opened, it wasn't Boney who greeted him, but Councilwoman Whittle. Hayato saw her occasionally, but she was usually busy with work. Today she looked frazzled, her appearance not as neat as usual.

“He's not home,” she said, before Hayato had the chance to ask, “He's gone to make a nuisance of himself at the facility again.”

“He's still going there?” Hayato asked. He'd honestly expected that Boney would give up on the place as soon as he couldn't use it to show off to Hayato any more.

“Yes, he's doing something there. I don't even know what. Let's be honest, Shigino, he wants to become this important scientist to impress you, but my son is an idiot,” Councilwoman Whittle sighed, motioning for Hayato to come inside. Once he'd stepped through, she closed the door behind them and carried on talking; “He's just getting in the way there and bothering the real scientists. Some of the arrogant young bucks like him, but it's clearly just because he's my son. He's making me look bad.”

Huh. That wasn't how Hayato expected someone would talk about their family. He could never picture Mrs. Yamazaki talk about Sousuke in such a way. But he could hardly disagree with Councilwoman Whittle that Boney was an idiot.

“So you need a way to keep him happy without ruining your own intentions?” mused Hayato. That was something he could relate to.

“You're his boyfriend – aren't you keeping him happy?”

“Doesn't seem like it.”

“Then what's the point of you?”

Hayato stopped to think for a moment. This was a make or break situation, but if he didn't try now, then he'd end up stuck in the same routine forever.

“There's other labs, right? Boney mentioned one in the UK ages back, but I assume there's more,” he said.

“Of course. There's even more right here in Japan. This facility is kept off the coast for safety reasons, but there's one setup in Tokyo and smaller ones appearing across the country to help study different areas,” she said, “And I know what you're about to say, but Hewitt won't go to any of them unless you go with him. Unless you're offering?”

“No! Um... no, I couldn't do that,” Hayato quickly replied. He couldn't risk being taken away from his family, not when he had no idea what would come of this. Yet there was something else he could suggest; “Honestly, there's not much I can do at all though. I'm at Boney's beck and call. I can't even get into this facility, because he won't let me.”

Councilwoman Whittle looked surprised at that; “...But the scientists talk about you all the time. I assumed you were a regular.”

“If only. I made a good impression when I met them, but that was all I've been able to do. It's my dream to help them find a cure, so I've studied as much as I can. It just never seems to get me anywhere,” he replied.

Usually Hayato wouldn't risk being so open, but Councilwoman Whittle was the one person who could make a difference. She paused thoughtfully. Hayato could tell this was going somewhere.

“If you truly want to be there and I want Boney away from where he can cause harm, then perhaps we can make a deal,” she said, “If you could convince him to go to Tokyo, then he'd be out of both of our way. I'd see no reason not to give you a chance at the facility after that.”

She really did see Boney as being as much of a bother as Hayato did. It'd mean exposing himself as a fraud who'd been using her son, but Councilwoman Whittle seemed to know that and not care.

“Very well. I'll do what I can.”

Hayato had to make this work. He had no choice.

***

Part of Hayato wanted to march down to the facility to barter with Boney right now, but he knew that since Boney had been trying to keep him away from that place, that Boney would only be on edge if confronted there. So instead he waited in Boney's room, flicking on the projector to pass the time. For once, Hayato didn't dance. He just sat on the bed and watched the stars.

Eventually, he heard the door downstairs open, meaning that Boney had returned. Councilwoman Whittle was long gone – she'd left Hayato to take care of this one.

He waited in the room. Perhaps he should've gone down to greet Boney at the door, but the truth was that he was nervous. Even after spending all day thinking about it, Hayato wasn't sure what to say. Boney's footsteps came up the stairs and Hayato swallowed hard. The door opened and-

“...Fuck! J-jesus! Hayato, don't scare me like that!” Boney gasped, putting a hand on his heart; “I didn't know who was in here.”

Off to a bad start already.

“I'm sorry, I just... wanted to see you,” Hayato mumbled, pulling his legs up to his chest, “I've been thinking about... about your research. You see-”

“My research?” Boney echoed, coming to sit on the edge of the bed.

“Yes. You've done so much and I didn't even know about it until your mom told me,” Hayato lied.

“Mum said that about me? I didn't think she approved...” Boney mumbled, for once not looking at Hayato.

The truth was that she didn't approve. But from the start it was obvious that Boney had craved the attention that she wasn't giving him, so winning her approval probably meant something to him.

“We talked about you for a while and about Tokyo, as hard as that might be to believe,” Hayato said, knowing that Councilwoman Whittle would back this story up if it worked, “The research in the facility is great, but Tokyo is a real chance to be out there in the field, observing the zombies up close and personal. If a breakthrough is going to happen anywhere, it'll be there. No wonder all the young and ambitious scientists are being sent out.”

“She thinks I'm ambitious... Yes, of course she does,” Boney said, “When she first brought it up, I thought she was just trying to get rid of me. But I see now that she... she respects what I'm doing. She actually thinks I have what it takes to go to Tokyo! Wow... I, um, used to always want to go there as a kid, before the outbreak. It's very different now, but I still want to go.”

“Then why don't you?” Hayato asked.

He couldn't believe it had been this easy. There had to be a catch.

“Because you're not there.”

...And there it was. That was the catch.

Hayato shuffled closer, taking one of Boney's hands in his own. He held it gently, looking down into Boney's eyes and giving his softest smile. Usually Boney was the one who'd initiate the contact, but today Hayato needed him to know how important this was.

“You can't hold yourself back for me, Boney,” he whispered, “You're going places, quite literally. You'll become the greatest scientist who ever lived, perhaps the one who'll find the cure. And that's the future I want for you. I'll still be here when you come back.”

Boney looked up at him, green eyes shining in awe; “Didn't you say finding a single cure wouldn't be so easy?”

Damn. Why had Hayato said that?

“Pfft. What do I know? I'm not the upcoming scientist here.”

At least not until this was over, anyway.

“I don't know... Tokyo is a big step,” Boney mumbled, “But if you think I can do it and Mum thinks I can do it, then... I can't let either of you down. You're the most important people in the world to me.”

That was actually kind of tragic, considering that neither Hayato nor Councilwoman Whittle even liked Boney. But oh well.

“You'll have our full support,” Hayato promised.

“Then I'll do it! I'll go to Tokyo...!”

...This was it. Hayato had succeeded. He was going to get rid of Boney, Councilwoman Whittle would make Hayato a scientist and then he could finally, finally work on a cure for Haru, so his family could be together again. It had been a winding road, but Hayato was going to get there. He was so happy that he pressed down and kissed Boney, who gasped in surprise. Thankfully, Boney assumed the elated gesture was in response to his own decision to go to Tokyo and not how glad Hayato was to be getting rid of him.

***

On the day Boney was leaving, Hayato was summoned to the facility by the guards. They came to his actual house and he could see the nerves in Kisumi's eyes as he answered the door. It was best to get in there before this escalated.

“Don't worry, they're here for me,” he said, putting a hand on Kisumi's arm, “One of my friends from the facility is leaving on an extended study and I'm being promoted, so they didn't want me to miss it.”

“You're being promoted?” said Kisumi, who'd been under the impression that Hayato had been working at the facility this whole time, “Hayato, that's brilliant! I'm so proud of you! But that friend of yours... is it the one we talked about before?”

Hayato looked between Kisumi and the guards, feeling nervous about how to answer that for some reason.

“Yes, it's him. I shouldn't keep him waiting.”

“Hayato, wait a moment. Before you go – do you still feel the same way about him as when we first talked? It's been a while now,” Kisumi checked.

The guards were getting impatient, Hayato could tell. But he wasn't going to ignore his brother's question.

“Y-yeah, yeah... I do,” he admitted, “He still likes me more than I like him.”

“Then you should call it off,” Kisumi insisted, “If you don't do it before he leaves, then you'll regret having it hanging over your head once he's gone. I'm sure he'll feel better in the long run to not be tied to a relationship that isn't going anywhere as well.”

Honestly, Hayato didn't think it would make that much difference. He still planned on getting involved with whoever he needed to so he could make his way through the facility and he assumed Boney would be content to remain obsessed with him in Tokyo. But Kisumi didn't know these details and if it kept him happy, then Hayato would go along with it.

“...Thanks for the advice, Kisumi. I'm sure it'll go okay, but I'll... I'll let you know,” he said.

At least, he'd tell Kisumi something later, anyway. With that decided, he left with the guards.

***

There was actually quite a crowd at the facility. Even if she wasn't here herself, Councilwoman Whittle must've made a big deal out of her son leaving, if only because people would be glad to see him gone. But the more Hayato looked and listened, the more he realised that a lot of the young scientists here were actually going with Boney. For many of them, this was a real opportunity.

He watched as they all piled onto the helicopter, but one person was decided missing. Hayato looked around for Boney, but then he felt a tug on his hand and Boney was there, at his side.

“Come with me. I want to talk to you before I go,” Boney whispered.

With that, Boney pulled him towards the storage sheds at one side of the yard. They hid behind them, out of sight of the others, and Boney smiled up at him bashfully.

“Mum told me the news, that you've become a scientist as well,” said Boney, “At first I wasn't sure what to think. But then I realised... this is good. If I'd left and you'd just been a civilian, then you might've just gone back to your zone and I'd never see you again. This way we can keep in touch.”

So now Boney approved of him being a scientist. That made this easier. Hayato squeezed his hand.

“I've got you to thank for everything, Boney. I wouldn't be here without you.”

That much at least was true. But he could tell that this wasn't the end of the conversation. It wasn't just a case of quickly congratulating Boney and sending him on his way. He had more that he wanted to say, Hayato could tell. After a pause, Boney worked up his courage and continued.

“It's not too late, Hayato. You could still come with us. We could have your stuff sent across later. This could be our big break, a chance to start up our own studies away from the eyes of the council. Wouldn't freedom like that be better for you than this?”

“Sorry Boney, as tempting as that is, I have to say no,” Hayato replied, “My family are here. If I make any progress with my research into zombies like Haru, then I want them to be close at hand. Tokyo's no good for me.”

Because if Hayato was going to bring up his intentions at any point, he might as well do it now, during a passing conversation when it was too late for Boney to do anything about it. Hayato's own line of research was an excuse to keep him here. The sooner he got himself grounded in it, the less excuse Boney would have to pull him away.

Boney went silent for a long moment. Then he shook his head.

“...I guess I can't force you. But if you change your mind, my door's always open. Especially for you...” He purred out that last part.

And then... Boney did something unwarranted. He reached up to stroke a hand across Hayato's face, the contact tender and familiar. But it wasn't what Hayato wanted. He felt himself tense, pulling away without even meaning to. His eyes darted around and that was when he caught sight of someone coming over – the pilot. A brown-haired, plump young man who had obviously seen them, but felt too awkward to interrupt. The timing was perfect. Hayato stepped back, away from Boney.

“Come on, Boney, it's not fair to keep acting like this now. It's been fun, but it's definitely over,” said Hayato, “In fact, it looks like your ride's come to pick you up.”

Hayato nodded across at the pilot, who looked like he instantly regretted becoming the centre of attention. The face that Boney shot the pilot was venomous, although it was was as much directed towards Hayato shooting him down as it was towards the pilot. All the same, the pilot saluted as a show of respect.

“The helicopter's ready when you are, Dr. Whittle,” he announced.

“Yes... very well,” Boney sneered, “Run along, little man. I'll catch up in a moment.”

But while the pilot had acted as a distraction, it Hayato had taken the chance to step away. When Boney turned back to him, Hayato was already several feet closer to the main building.

“Well, I'd better go get familiar with my office. First day at work and all that,” Hayato said, “Have a good trip, Boney. Make sure to call if you can.”

“Trust me, I will,” Boney confirmed, “Just try not to bite off more than you can chew in there, Hayato. Not everyone will take kindly to your radical thinking.”

“Then it's my job to change a few minds.”

That was what he intended to do. If Hayato could get through Boney, then he could get through anyone and he assumed the actual scientists would be a lot less hostile anyway. Hayato had won. This might only be the beginning, but it truly was where his research could begin. And in the end, so long as it all worked out, who cared what happened along the way?

***

Hayato pushed his chair back, listening to the fans whirring and Boney's scratching on the other side of the door. God, so much had happened along the way. He still couldn't say for sure if the end results were good or not. So many lives had been lost, but at least his family got to live happily in Iwatobi now.

They could all be with Haru, even if there was no cure in the end. Kisumi specifically could be with Haru. And Chiyo, of all people. But given some of Hayato's bizarre choices, he couldn't exactly judge his brother for wanting to date two zombies.

Speaking of that... Hayato glanced at the photo on his desk. From his wedding day. Hayato had gotten married, who could've thought? He didn't think for a moment back then that the passing pilot he'd used to distract Boney would end up becoming one of the most important people in the world to him... Daichi looked so handsome in his suit – his face was round and kind, full of smiles, but also able to pull Hayato back from the worst bouts of his depression. God, Hayato didn't deserve Daichi.

He didn't deserve a family that loved him despite everything that had happened, either.

Next to them one the photo was Kisumi, barely able to hold back his tears of happiness, along with Haru and Chiyo, who both looked terrible in formal dress, Sousuke, who just looked plain awkward, Makoto, who was as gentle as ever, and Gou and Isuzu – the true leaders who'd keep Iwatobi going into the new world. They were his family now. Mrs. Yamazaki had since passed, but her memory lived on and Hayato knew that her stern attitude towards him had been for the best, even if he hadn't thought so at the time.

Hayato should go visit them all soon. That would be nice. Daichi was getting restless being at the Hokkaido facility and it wasn't fair to keep him cooped up in the middle of the snowy nowhere for long. Actually, what time was it?

He looked up at the clock to realise it was well past 5pm. Were the computers seriously that slow? You'd think Christine would provide the best of the best for her son, but whatever. Boney pulled himself up to his feet, glancing towards the door to Boney's cell one last time for the day.

“Looks like I didn't really do much today. But maybe you'd say that I didn't do much anyway. Well, I'll be back tomorrow all the same. Try not to miss me too much, okay?”

With that, Hayato logged off the computers for today, recording the data before he left. There had been no changes, because there never was. But if he could use the right wording with Christine, then she'd keep him here as long as possible, thus keeping her attention off Iwatobi as long as possible. Hayato would keep this game up as long as he needed to.

He grabbed his coat and headed for the door, quietly humming a tune to himself that he'd picked up from somewhere, although he couldn't remember where.

“Her skin is like velvet... So I went to her home. Her place like a palace, with things you can't own...”

...Sounded like a nice song. Hayato would have to look it up sometime, since he didn't know the rest of the lyrics. Perhaps Daichi would know – he was more of the music buff between the two of them, even if he mostly stuck to classical.

Hayato didn't think anything more of it as he headed off down the corridor, humming what he knew of the tune as he went. Behind him, the room fell into darkness and the only sound was Boney scratching against the door.

The noise went on for several minutes. Just scratching and nothing else. Until...

_“...H-her sssskiiin..._

_...is l-l-like vel...vet..._

_...aandd..._

_...hee-eear... h-hooww... she... siiingss...”_

**Author's Note:**

> ...And that's all she wrote.
> 
> Goodness, this is it. The end of the Trail Mix series. At least as far as I have planned at this current moment in time. When I started Trail Mix in November 2016, it was a simple oneshot of SouMako in a zombie AU – my first time writing that ship and that setting. But I felt like there was more I wanted to do with it, so I went back and made it a “just for fun” project as a break from other projects. It then ended up becoming the main thing I was working on, because isn't that always how it goes? Back then, I'd planned to write the first Trail Mix story and the Prison Food oneshot to show what happened to the characters a few years later. For a while, that was the end of the series in my mind. Only then I wrote another oneshot, Iwatobi Bread, to celebrate 1,000 hits on the original fic and that little fic showed me once again that there was more I wanted to do in this world.
> 
> At this moment in time, I've done everything I set out to do with this series. We've seen SouMako's story from start to finish, Kisumi got his own story, Gou got her own story, I even gave Daichi and now Hayato stories of their own and added a little spin-off showing what Hiyori, Ikuya and Asahi were up to. There were a few other small stories I toyed with the idea of doing, but ended up not going ahead with in the end. You never know when the bug might bite me again though.
> 
> So for now, this is the end.
> 
> I can't thank anyone enough who's followed this series all the way through from start to finish. 2016 to 2019 is quite a while and maybe one day I'll go back to tidy up some of the earlier parts of the series, but for now I'm going to let it rest.
> 
> Hopefully in future I'll be writing other SouMako fics, I'd like to think. And I'd also be sad to see the back of this particular version of Hayato, along with Daichi – an accidental OC who I became very fond of. So maybe they'll turn up in non-zombie AU fics in future as well.
> 
> Also, the song being referenced in this fic is Velvet by A-Ha.
> 
> Thanks again and take care.


End file.
